


The Water Bride

by ArgentGale



Category: Star Wars: Thrawn Series - Timothy Zahn (2017)
Genre: Ari just wants to help her parents, F/M, Loving a water spirit isn't easy, Pining, Romance, Sappy cheese ahoy, Thrawn has much to learn, land dwellers are a puzzle but Ari is going to help clue him in, probably, sex on the beach maybe, what is a credit card, who knew a dude with blue skin could be so hot
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-02-14
Updated: 2019-02-14
Packaged: 2019-10-27 21:40:46
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,597
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17774696
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ArgentGale/pseuds/ArgentGale
Summary: Arihnda Pryce has always loved the ocean, enjoying an idyllic childhood with the sea a constant companion.   However, Ari has chosen to leave the sea behind to forge a life for herself in the city, taking a job in a museum. When Ari’s father’s nets pull up a trident, he gives it to Ari to examine.  One evening a mysterious man named Thrawn comes to the museum seeking the trident. Ari finds that the trident is much more than it seems and as she finds herself falling for this mysterious Thrawn, Ari learns just how deep her connection to the ocean really is.





	The Water Bride

**Author's Note:**

> Not going to lie, I thought I was going to flake on my first challenge but I prevailed and got the chapter done in time. Huzzah! 
> 
> My trope was: Prongs of Poiseidon

 

  
  
  
  
  


_ Chubby legs carried her with wobbly determination over the blazing white sand.  Her eyes were focused straight ahead to where the foamy waves playfully lapped and beckoned in invitation to play.  The roar of the sea drowning out her father’s frantic cries. _

 

_ She wanted to see her friend. _

 

_ She paused at the sea’s edge tracers of seafoam tickling at her feet.  Shells and pebbles rolled and danced and sparks of sunlight adorned the waves like a crown dazzling jewels. _

 

_ “Ari! Get back here this instant young lady!” _

 

_ She finally acknowledged her father, turning towards his voice carried by the breeze over dunes tufted with seagrass. _

 

_ “Ari!” _

 

_ He was angry.  Even though her father’s voice held anger and fear, the sparkling water was just too alluring and before she knew it, somehow, she was in up to her waist.  _

 

_ Fish darted in silver flashes and they tickled as they ran into her legs. . _

 

_ “Ari! Stop! No desserts for a month, so help me.”  Ari again turned to see her father now stomping his way towards her, his face a thundercloud of frustration over his headstrong child.  _

 

_ Ari pouted as her mind grudgingly accepted that she was  very much in trouble and perhaps this little venture was a mistake.   _

 

_ It was then she learned her first lesson.  Never turn one’s back on the ocean.  _

 

_ A rogue wave surged with stealthy power, slamming her hard from behind, driving her face first underwater, grasping her body and pulling her out to deeper water.  The current greedily held its prize, tumbling her along the seafloor. The sand scratched and scraped at her cheeks as she was helpless borne along.  _

 

_ She tried to cry out for her father but as soon as she opened her mouth a flood of  briney water filled it, choked any sound and stealing precious air. Still tumbling, helplessly bouncing along the ocean floor, all she could see was a whirling green and white.  With her eyes burning from the salt, and growing increasingly disoriented as her tiny body was pulled along, no longer sure where the surface was. Fear clutched at her heart, squeezing with a crushing force.  Panic rose in the little girl and in a frantic, final effort, her little arms flailed, feet kicking desperately trying in vain to find purchase.  _

 

_ Then, just as quickly as it had snatched her,  the current loosened its grip. Ari’s dizzying tumble ceased and she found herself floating gently, just beneath the surface.   _

 

_ In  the green blur she caught a flicker of movement and then all at once a shadow, large  moving very fast, passed close in front of her, close enough that the turbulence of its passage caused her to jostle and bob gently in the water. _

 

_ There was a low rumble that seemed to pass right through her, vibrating her bones. Through the gurgle and rush of water, she heard a voice.  It was deep, sonorous. Gentle with a chiding tone.  _

 

_ “Did you come to play? It seems you are in over your head.”  There was a pause and Ari got the sense that the shadow was examining her.   “Perhaps another time.” _

 

_ And then all at once there was a great shove to her back .  Ari was pushed with great force through the water until she was finally  able to get her feet situated underneath her and she was able to raise her head above the surface, gulping precious lungfuls of air.  _

 

_ She stood there in the surf with her legs shaking,  choking and sputtering, as her father bounded through the waves, scooping her up and crushing her in a protective hug.  _

 

_ The whole matter lasted only seconds but to her it seemed it had gone on for hours. _

 

_ Coughing and sputtering Ari pressed her face to her father’s shirt, drying it.  _

 

_ “Ari, oh Ari my darling do you see?  Do you understand why you never go to the shore alone?  If I hadn’t seen you wander off…” Ari’s father allowed the sentence to trail off, unable to finish it.  He had seen the ocean claim the lives of men, strong, capable men with years of experience. To think it had almost claimed his precious daughter was too much to bear. _

 

_ Ari’s father’s eyes flickered to the shimmering water and smiled.  Brushing the sodden mess of black hair back from Ari’s eyes, Talmoor motioned to the sea.  “You were very lucky today in more ways than one. Seems you had a friend out there. Look.” _

 

_ Ari turned to gaze once more at the blue of the ocean just in time to see a crescent shaped tail slip beneath its surface, sleek as a knife.  _

 

_ Immediately her face brightened. “Odo.  Odo!” She exclaimed in excitement, bouncing in her father’s arms, her perilous escapade already slipping from her memory.  _

 

_ Her father laughed as he wiped errant grains of sand from her cheeks.  “No. DOLphin. That was a dolphin. Seems you had a little guardian looking out for you today.  You know, dolphins have been known to helping those in distress on the sea. Lucky for you this fellow just happened to be passing by, eh?” _

 

_ “Odo.  Odo play.” Ari returned resolutely before tucking her face into the crook of her father’s neck as he turned and carried her back to the house.  _

 

***********************

 

As Ari exited off the Interstate, her mind again went over her father’s cryptic message. 

 

_ “Ari can you come home right away?   I...found something I think you will be very interested in.” _

 

The voicemail was succinct and maddeningly lacking in details which was typical for her father.  Talmoor Pryce was always one to get right to the point, never one for wasting words. 

 

Ari took comfort in the fact that his voice did not hold any distress and in fact seemed giddy with an almost childish excitement.  It had been a little while since she had visited her parents. Ari appreciated the fact that they lived far enough away to not be meddelsome but close enough for her to pop in for a visit on the weekends if she so desired.  

 

Rolling fields gave way to marshland.  She couldn’t see the ocean yet, but she got a tingle in her belly, as if her soul knew it were near.  As she turned down the road lined with towering dunes that led to her childhood home, Ari smiled and rolled down the window. As the rush of warm air flooded the interior, Ari breathed deep, the salty tang filling her lungs.  

 

_ The ocean.  Home. _

 

She had missed this. 

 

Her job in the city had taken her away from the ocean.  Her father had often voiced his displeasure at her decision to leave the seaside to make her way in the world among the fancy, uppity  “town folk”. He often grumbled at just how pale Ari’s skin had grown since moving away. “You look sick. You need to be out in the fresh air and sun, not cooped up in a concrete prison all day,” he would grumble. 

 

In spite of all of his grousing, Ari knew that deep down her father realized her decision was for the best. He had been able to eke out a good living and provide for his family when Ari was a child. Lately  however the ocean was stingy with its gifts, and her father’s nets often came up empty, filled only with a stray bottle or some other bit of trash. She never let on but Ari worried for him. Despite his reassurances that he and her mother were doing just fine, Ari knew they were struggling.  He had to let go most of his crew and just last month had sold a trawler, the excuse being that it was getting older and needed more repairs than it was worth.

 

Ari guided her car onto  a long gravel drive, smiling at the collection of whelk and conch shells lining it.  There were Ari’s “trophies” that she had collected over the years. Some were so old they were bleached white as bone.   When she suggested perhaps removing them her father was almost offended, catching her with a steely glare and huffing, “Having those shells is like there is a part of you is still here with us.” Ari promptly dropped the subject.  

 

Ari parked and as she shut the car door she paused.  Closed her eyes and listened. The dull roar of the ocean was barely audible, felt more than heard.  Squadrons of seabirds swooped and screeched overhead. The air was thick with the unique fishy/wet vegetation scent of seaweed.  She could taste salt on her tongue. 

 

Forget those trendy Himalayan salt lamps. This was the real deal. Already, Ari felt renewed.  Brighter somehow. 

 

“Arihnda!”  The screen door screeched as it was flung wide open and Elainye burst from the house, catching Ari in an hearty embrace.  

 

Her mother abruptly broke the hug, bracing Ari at arms length. “What on  _ earth _ did you do to your hair, girl?  You cut it all off!”

 

Ari smiled.  “I wanted a polished look to go with my job.  It was just getting in the way and I wore it up all time anyways.  So I decided to just have it lopped off.”

 

Elainye smiled.  “You look older. Not in a bad way, it's just that...well...you look more assured.  Like you know who you are and what you want.” Sadness touched Elainye’s eyes.

 

Carefully disengaging herself from her mother’s grasp, Ari smiled.  “You saw me a few weeks ago. You’re acting like its been years.”

 

Her mother shrugged. “Well to me it feels like years.”

 

“Where is Papa?”   

 

“Back in the shed.  Wait til you see what he has.  Never saw anything like it and I am sure your boss will be incredibly pleased.  Looks fit to be in a fancy museum like you work in.”

 

Ari pursed her lips.  “What is it? Papa was so vague.”

 

“Go see.  He has it squirreled away in his workshop.  Don’t know why he insisted on keeping it out there, among all his junk.   I think he should have brought it into the house. I think it might be valuable.”

 

“Well then there is only one way to find out.  I’ll give it a quick look. Oh, and I’m hungry, didn’t stop on the way here.”  Ari gave her mother a mischievous grin. “Is there any chance you could whip up one of your famous egg salad sandwiches for my lunch?”   

 

Elainye cocked her head, a grin of her own tugging at her lips.  “Maybe I have a batch already whipped up.”

 

Planting a hurried kiss on her mother’s cheek, Ari made her way to the shed where her father kept his “workshop”.   As she made her way, Ari cast an appraising eye on her parents’ house and property. Things weren’t exactly ramshackle, but the house and outbuildings had a tired appearance to them. Siding faded to a dull grey.  A few of the porch bannisters were askew. Chipped paint on the sills.

 

Ari sighed inwardly.  She had tried giving her parents money but it was refused, the checks remaining uncashed until they grew stale dated.  

 

Ari made a note to bring some cash next time and stash it in her mother’s purse.

 

Her father’s workshop crouched in the far corner of the yard. Her mother had tried to pretty it up by planting hydrangea bushes to cover the block foundation but it was a lost cause.  Inside the tiny building was filled near to bursting with old nets, engine parts, buoys and whatever interesting flotsam and jetsam Talmoor picked up while out to sea. The jawbone of a sperm whale adorned one wall, its fearsome conical teeth gleaming in the low light. 

 

Ari found her father hunched over his workbench, carefully studying his latest find. 

 

“So what is it you have dug up this time.  A tooth from a might sea serpent perhaps?”

 

Talmoor jumped and whirled in surprise, a bright smile erupting as his bright blue eyes met Ari’s.  

 

“Bug!  Must you slink about like a cat?  Stars you are quiet.” Giving Ari’s cheek a peck, her father then stepped aside and dramatically swept his arm towards the workbench.  “Come see for yourself.”

 

Ari made her way to the workbench to get a good look at what curiosity her father had discovered.

 

“Caught up in my net.  What do you make of it, Ari?  This sort of thing is right up your alley.”

 

Ari gaped at the object nestled in burlap on her father’s desk, the wicked tines gleaming in the low light. 

 

A  _ trident _ .

 

Ari’s brow furrowed. “Where exactly did you pull this up?”

 

Talmoor continued on, prattling in his excitement. “Right offshore. Maybe a half mile out.  Practically in our own backyard.”

 

Ari nodded absentmindedly, running her fingers over the tines.  “Interesting.”

 

“Drew up the nets ready to call it a day.  Saw something shining. Thought I pulled up an old lawn chair or piece of pipe.  What do you make of it?”

 

Ari’s brow furrowed.  The trident was silver, no visible writing or engraving. There were no jewels or ornamentation and it was approximately five feet in length.  Ari then lifted the trident, hefting it. As her fingers encircled the cool metal, she startled. A low thrum, almost like a heartbeat reverberated through the metal.  It were as if the trident were alive, vibrating with its own barely contained energy. With a startled gasp Ari’s fingers flexed, allowing the trident to fall back to the table. 

 

_ What was that all about? _

 

“Is something wrong?”

 

Ari collected herself.  “N...no it was just heavier than I was expecting.  As for this piece and its origins...it’s hard to say.  Mr. Tarkin will be most interested in this, of course, but we’ll need to study it.”  Ari’s brow furrowed. “It is most likely an ornamental piece. Perhaps it fell from a passing ship or it is part of a costume of some sort and found its way overboard.  It’s beautiful but I am sure there is a plausible explanation.”

 

“It looks like it’s made of silver.”

 

“It does but I highly doubt it is.”

 

“But what if it were?  Would your boss buy it?”

 

Ari laughed.  “Of course and he may still buy it even if it is not made of a precious metal.  We need to see if it has any secrets.” Ari smiled at her father. “And yes you would get a generous finders fee if he DOES decide to add it to the collection.  But don’t get your hopes up Papa. I am pretty sure we are looking at nothing more than a remarkable costume piece. Like I said, there plenty of cruise ships that pass by and I’ll bet a disgruntled performer just heaved this overboard.  Perhaps they were having a bad evening. A moody actor pissed he didn’t get his way.”

 

Talmoor’s shoulders sagged.  “I suppose you are right. It’s not my lot to manage to find  treasure. Just...junk.” 

 

Just then Elainye’s voice rang across the yard, summoning Ari to lunch and that egg salad sandwich. 

 

Ari shrugged as she carefully wrapped the trident back up in its burlap nest. “I’ll take it with me.  We’ll run some tests, do some digging around, and who knows.” Ari shrugged. “Stranger things have happened. Your name might end up on the news.” 

Ari hefted the trident into her arms and followed her father back to the house, trying with all her might to ignore the low thrum vibrating through the burlap against her chest, seemingly growing stronger with each step.

  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  


**Author's Note:**

> I have multiple chapters for this but exactly how many I have no idea. This month was brutal so I wouldn't look for an update for a couple weeks. I have four chapters outlined but something tells me it could go longer. I'm really not sure, I'm kind of winging it here. I'm more of a one shot gal. Anyway, if you read this thank you so much.


End file.
